They were not looking for especially efficient scoring. They were simply coming straight at Wemby!
At first, their rim attack efficiency was indeed poor, and the Spurs even seized on it to launch several waves of fast breaks.
But once Little Porter drew another foul on Wemby late in the second quarter, putting him in foul trouble again, the situation changed.
At that point, even though Wemby stayed on the court, he inevitably had to rein himself in on defense.
And once Wemby began holding back, the team's defensive efficiency inevitably slipped again, giving the Nuggets another opening.
On top of that, the Nuggets had made a point of ramping up the pressure on Brunson tonight.
They not only sent their two young players, Braun and Watson, to frequently double-team and disrupt him, but also repeatedly targeted him on offense to wear him down even further.
Ultimately, that two-pronged approach brought the game firmly under Denver's control.
By the final buzzer, the Nuggets had secured a 123-109 victory, taking a 3-1 series lead and putting themselves one win away from advancing.
Now they, too, were just one step away from the second round!
As for the Spurs, their coaching staff needed to have a proper talk with the players.
Wembanyama's potential was certainly staggering, but he also had plenty of the problems common to rookies.
Managing his foul count, controlling his physical movements, and testing the limits of the referees' whistles were all things he still needed to learn.
In that respect, he might very well need to keep seeking advice from the legendary big man who often came around the team to "mooch food and drinks."
Of course, even if Duncan could teach him plenty, whether he could actually apply it in games depended on his own ability to